FNRttC Friday Night Ride to Bognor - Friday 15th July

[Fab Foodie]

Registered.
Likely to ride the Brompton for Logistical reasons ....

Anyone got a gpx of the route?

 

[velovoice]

Registered.
Likely to ride the Brompton for Logistical reasons ....

Anyone got a gpx of the route?

I'm sure some one does... I'll just forewarn you, the Gurkha Bridge route is impassable so we'll be going up Bury Hill.

 

[Fab Foodie]

I'm sure some one does... I'll just forewarn you, the Gurkha Bridge route is impassable so we'll be going up Bury Hill.

Is that a corker?

 

[velovoice]

Here is what Dellzeqq said about it a few years ago:

In truth Bury Hill is do-able - it's easier than Ditchling by a way - but there's absolutely nothing pleasurable about it. Any sense of achievement is deferred until you get the view over Amberley and North Stoke from the top - and it is a magnificent view. The hill itself has horrible noisy tarmac, and cars zoom by in the fast lane at fifty miles an hour. It is, however, far safer than the other way up the hill - doing the moving roadblock thing last year was probably my all-time FNRttC low point.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Here is what Dellzeqq said about it a few years ago:

Doable then on my now S12L with extra stump pulling capacity!

 

[rb58]

When is the right time to make a sacrifice to the weather Gods?

 

[Dogtrousers]

Sorry I'm out.

Bury Hill is a biggish grindy hill. The worst thing about it is, IMO, the knobbly road surface that glues your tyres to the road. But in truth it's not a monster. The worst thing you can do is worry about it beforehand. Just take it as it comes and if necessary a quick rest or walking break can be taken.

 

[Fab Foodie]

With @Fab Foodie on board? There is never a right time, the silly bugger told a lie as a teen-ager.

It's true .... And I still didn't get a shag ....

 

[Tim Hall]

It's true .... And I still didn't get a shag ....

Any good?

 

[velovoice]

I dispute that this isn't as bad as the Beacon! I can get up the Beacon, but have never manage Bury Hill even on a road bike. Ugh.

Hmm, yes, that's my take on it as well but I didn't want to be too negative, in case it was "just me" who felt this way.

 

[Tim Hall]

Hmm, yes, that's my take on it as well but I didn't want to be too negative, in case it was "just me" who felt this way.

According to Strava, Ditchling is 133m climbing at 9% over 1.4km, while Bury Hill (on the A29) is 106m at 8% over 1.2km. But what that doesn't say is that Ditchling is a series of ramps with flatter bits between, while (from memory) Bury Hill is a continuous grind.

 

[velovoice]

According to Strava, Ditchling is 133m climbing at 9% over 1.4km, while Bury Hill (on the A29) is 106m at 8% over 1.2km. But what that doesn't say is that Ditchling is a series of ramps with flatter bits between, while (from memory) Bury Hill is a continuous grind.

As I understand it, that continuous grind is on a much busier road.

So it's not a case of "I'll take this 133m of climbing over 1.4km at my own pace" but more of a "clinch my fists and get this over with as quickly as possible" test over 1.2km.

And I hate continuous grinds.

 

[TimO]

... Anyone got a gpx of the route?

This is the route we used in April 2010, which includes the Gurkha Bridge. I think the alternative is to just continue on at Houghton, along the B2139 and then left along the A284 into Arundel (I can't see where else you'd go), and that's what we did a few years back for a Christmas Not The Friday Night Ride to the Coast.

 

[TimO]

... which is not to say that this is the route that we will use on Friday. I've got three routes, which are all dramatically different between Tooting Broadway Station and Horsham, but from that point onwards, aside from the Gurkha Bridge section, are identical for the remainder of the way to Bognor.

 

[Pale Rider]

The thing about Ditchling is that you cannot set a rhythm all the way up. Bury hill is easier in that regard, although the traffic is way more horrid.

I found the traffic on the Beacon to be unpleasant enough, not helped by my modest bike handling skills which do not allow me to climb in a straight line.

I was tooted for weaving by one driver.

Almost understandable, assuming the driver's never ridden a bike so cannot grasp it's harder to make one go in a straight line up hill than it is on the flat.

A belated thanks to @User for acting as my rear gunner on the climb when I suspect, given a traffic free road, he could have eased past.